1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar power generator installed at one""s residence and operated together with usage of commercial power, and particularly to the technique of supplying the user who has installed such a solar power generator with various services.
2. Description of the Background Art
During the past several years, there has been an intensive effort to review the energy resource from the standpoint of conserving a global environment. Solar cells utilizing solar energy hold promise as a clean energy resource. A solar power generator utilizing the power generated from such solar cells and commercial power together is known. When the required electricity for consumption cannot be covered by just the solar cells, the generator can supply the insufficient electricity from the commercial power.
The solar power generator requires maintenance in order to realize the predetermined electric generating capacity by the solar cells. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-206038 discloses an apparatus that collects information about the operation status of the solar power generator online to monitor any error.
The apparatus disclosed in this publication includes an inverter circuit converting the DC power generated by a solar cell array into AC power, a switch connected between the solar cell array and the inverter circuit and between the inverter circuit and a distribution board, a control circuit opening the switch when an error is detected in the solar cell array or inverter circuit, and a transmission/reception circuit connected to the control circuit and communication circuit to transmit error information related to the detected error to a predetermined organization through the communication line. The predetermined organization can access the control circuit through the communication line. The control circuit includes a circuit for the predetermined organization to collect the operation information of the solar power generator, and a circuit to stop the inverter circuit according to an instruction from the predetermined organization.
According to the apparatus disclosed in this publication, when an error is generated in the inverter circuit, the control circuit detects it and automatically opens the switch. Thus, a high level of safety can be ensured. The error information is automatically provided in real time to a predetermined organization such as a service company through the communication line. The service company can carry out maintenance promptly. The service company collects the operation information of the inverter circuit periodically or irregularly through the communication line to monitor any change in the production of electricity or indication of error. Thus, the service company can provide the user with a high level of security and service. Furthermore, in the case where a serious error occurs at the commercial power side, the service company can stop the inverter circuit through remote control via the communication line. Thus, a high level of security can be ensured.
Such a solar power generator is extremely expensive. Although the apparatus disclosed in the present publication can realize high security with respect to the solar power generator, the user""s demand to recover in as short a period of time as possible the disbursement required for installing the solar power generator could not be satisfied.
An object of the present invention is to provide a solar power generation administration server and solar power generation administration method that can suppress generation of the expense of the user who has installed a solar power generator.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a solar power generation administration server and solar power generation administration method that allows the user who has installed a solar power generator to have the fee to be paid to the power company suppressed.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a solar power generation administration server and solar power generation administration method that can increase the electric energy produced by a solar power generator.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a solar power generation administration server and solar power generation administration method that can detect and notify the user an error in a solar power generator.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a solar power generation administration server and solar power generation administration method that can detect and notify the user an error in a solar power generator through comparison with another solar power generator.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a solar power generation administration server is employed in a solar power generation administration system including the solar power generation administration server and a solar power generator supplying commercial power and solar generated power to a load. The server includes a reception circuit receiving data of the solar generated power by the solar power generator and a quantity of power draw by the load, a production circuit connected to the reception circuit to produce notice information associated with the fee to be paid by the user who has installed the solar power generator to the power company supplying commercial power, based on the quantity of generated power and the quantity of power draw, and a transmission circuit connected to the production circuit to transmit the produced notice information to the solar power generator.
The solar power generation administration server can produce notice information based on the data of the quantity of generated power and the quantity of power draw received from the solar power generator by the reception circuit to transmit the notice information to the solar power generator. When the ratio of the quantity of power draw to the quantity of generated power is great, for example, notice information is produced so as to advise suppression of power draw. The solar power generator outputs the notice information transmitted from the solar power generation administration server so as to be acknowledged by the user. Thus, the user can suppress the power draw to reduce the electric power charge to be paid to the power company.
Further preferably, the solar power generator includes a circuit measuring the quantity of generated power, the quantity of power draw, the quantity of sell power to the power company supplying the commercial power, and the quantity of buy power by the power company, and a circuit transmitting the measured data to the solar power generation administration server. The reception circuit includes a circuit receiving data of the quantity of generated power, the quantity of power draw, the quantity of sell power and the quantity of buy power from the solar power generator. The production circuit includes a circuit storing data of a rate of sell power and a rate of buy power of the power company, and a circuit producing notice information that minimizes the fee to be paid to the power company by the user who has installed the solar power generator based on the data of the quantity of sell power, the quantity of buy power, the sell power rate and the buy power rate.
The solar power generation administration server calculates a rate of sell power based on the quantity of sell power to the power company and a rate of buy power based on the quantity of buy power from the power company. The power rate corresponds to the basic rate plus the used quantity of power multiplied by the unit cost. The power company has a plurality of contracts respectively differing in the basic rate and the unit cost. The solar power generation administration server can produce notice information recommending a contract with a power company so as to minimize the fee to be paid to the power company, which is the difference between the buy power rate and sell power rate.
Further preferably, the production circuit includes a circuit storing the sell power rate and buy power rate of a plurality of power companies, a circuit to select a power company from the plurality of power companies that minimizes the fee to be paid to the power company by the user who has installed the solar power generator, and a circuit producing notice information.
The solar power generation administration server can select the power company most advantageous to the user from a plurality of power companies.
Further preferably, the solar power generation administration server is connected to a plurality of solar power generators for communication therewith. The reception circuit includes a circuit receiving information representing the area where the solar power generator is installed, and the data of the quantity of power generated by the solar power generator and the quantity of power draw by the load. The production circuit includes a circuit calculating an average of the quantity of generated power by solar power generators installed at an area assumed to have the same hours of sunlight, based on the amount of power generated by a plurality of solar power generators, and a circuit producing notice information indicating that there is an error in the solar power generator whose quantity of generated power is below the average. The transmission circuit includes a circuit transmitting the produced notice information to the solar power generator whose quantity of generated power is below the average.
The solar power generation administration server calculates the average of the quantity of generated power by the solar power generators assumed to have the same hours of sunlight which is the most important factor in determining the quantity of power generated by sunlight. Determination is made that there is an error in the solar power generator whose quantity of generated power is below the average, so that notice information recommending maintenance can be produced.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a solar power generation administration method of a solar power generation administration server is provided, employed in a solar power generation administration system including the solar power generation administration server and a solar power generator supplying commercial power and solar generated power to a load. The solar power generation administration method includes the steps of receiving data of the quantity of power generated by the solar power generator and the quantity of power draw by the load from the solar power generator, producing notice information associated with the fee to be paid to the power company supplying commercial power by the user who has installed the solar power generator based on the received data of the quantity of generated power and power draw, and transmitting the produced notice information to the solar power generator.
The solar power generation administration method can produce notice information based on the data of the quantity of generated power and the quantity of power draw received from the solar power generator and transmit the produced notice information to the solar power generator. For example, when the ratio of the quantity of power draw to the quantity of generated power is great, the notice information is produced so as to advise suppression of power draw. The solar power generator outputs the notice information transmitted from the solar power generation administration server so as to be acknowledged by the user. Thus, the user can suppress power draw to reduce the electric power charge to be paid to the power company.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.